Motor-plow.



S. W. SMITH.

MOTOR PLQW.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2. 9'3.

1 $83 1 36., Patented July 10, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

jwum S. W. SMITH.

IVIOliOR PLOW.

APPHCAIION FILED JUNE 2, 1915.

Patenwd. July 10, 19W.

2 sums-sun z.

STEPHEN W. SMITH, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

MOTOR-PLOW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July id, 191?.

Application filed .Tune 2, 1915. Serial No. 31,724.

ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to a motor plow. The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, practical and efiicient motor plow in which the wheels w1ll be arranged in advance of the disks so that the soil will be thrown in a loose and soft mellow condition for planting.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction-and novel combination and arrangementof parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being un derstood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor plow constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates the plow frame of substantially rectangular form constructed of steel bars or other suitable material and supported'by a front caster wheel 2, rear traction or carrying wheels 3 mounted on a transverse axle 4 which is journaled in suitable bearings 5 of approximately IL- shaped adjusting levers 6 adapted to raise and lower the frame for varying the depth, which cultivator disks 7 penetrate the soil. The adjusting levers 6 which are approximately IL-shaped are fulcrumed at their angles at 8 to standards or brackets 9, secured to and depending from the sides of. the frame. 'The standards or brackets 9 are approximately V-shaped and support arouate bars 10provided with series of perforations 11 adapted to receive bolts or other suitable fastening 12 for securing the upwardly extending arms of the adjusting levers at different points along the arcuate bars 10.

The lower arms of the adjusting levers extend in advance of the pivots 8 and are adapted to be swung upwardly and downwardly by the adjustment of the levers, thereby raising and lowering the frame of the plow. The traction or carrying wheels may be provided either with the flat peripheries or rims as shown in Fig. 2 or with rims of any desired construction.

The front caster wheel 2 is mounted in a fork 13 of a pivoted stem 14 mounted in a suitable bearing of the main frame and having keyed or otherwise secured to its upper end a horizontally disposed gear 15 which meshes with a worm' 16 carried by a front horizontally disposed section 17 of a steering shaft 18. The steering shaft 18 which is arranged at an inclination is provided at its rear end with a steering wheel 19 and it is connected at its front end with the said. front section 17 by a universal joint 20 which is preferably in the nature of a coupling rod but a joint of any desired construction may of course be employed, or if desired a piece of flexible shafting may be used for connecting the steering shaft with the front section 17. When the steering shaft is rotated motion is communicated from the worm 16 to the gear 15 which is a worm wheel and the spindle 13 is turned either to the rightor left.

The carrying or traction wheels 3 are provided with inside sprocket wheels '21 mounted on the transverse shaft or axle 4 at the inner sides of the said wheels 3 and connected by sprocket chains 22 with sprocket pinions 23 keyed or otherwise secured to the terminal portions of a front transverse shaft 24 journaled in suitable bearings of the main frame at the front por-' tion thereof. The front transverse shaft 24 is also provided at an intermediate point with a sprocket wheel 25 which is connected bv a sprocket chain 26 with a sprocket wheel 27 which is mounted on a counter shaft 28.

The counter shaft 28 which is provided at its outer end with a combined balance wheel and pulley 29 has a crank 30 which is connected with a piston rod 31 of an internal combustion engine 32 of any desired construction. The band wheel or pulley 29 quirements.

The main frame is equipped at the back is adapted to be connected by a belt 33 with a small pulley 34 to which is connected at band wheel or pulley 35 and the latter is adapted to be connected by a belt with any suitable machine for operation independently of the plow. Suitable clutches, not shown are designed in practice to be pro vided for disconnecting the engine .32 from the wheels of the plow and a combustion engine 36 which is connected with the cultivator disks 7 may also by similar means be disconnected from the same to enable it to be used for other purposes. The machine which may be constructed of any desired size is designed to travel at a' speed of about two miles an hour when plowing or harrowing which is a considerable increase in speed over that attained by traction engines employed for this purpose but the speed may ofcourse be varied to suit rewith' depending downwardly and forwardly I curved plow beams 37 provided with horizontally disposed lower terminal portions 38 havinglongitudinal slots 39 in which are 7 adjustably mounted the terminal portions of a transverse shaft 40 upon'which the cultivator disks are mounted. The terminal portions of the plow beams are provided with a series of perforations 41 adapted. to receive bolts42 or other suitable fastening devices for securing the shaft 40 in its ad'- justmenti The terminals of the shaft 40 are adapted to be moved backwardly' and forwardly in the slots 39 to set the shaft andthe disks at the desired angle to secure the desired throw or turning of the soil.

The cultivator disks 7 which are designed to have a greater concave than the ordinary cultivator disks will in practice be constructed of chilled iron so that when they encounter an obstruction they will break and thereby prevent injury to the other portiofis of-the machine. The disks may be made of, any desired diameter to enable them to penetrate the soil to the required depth. 1

In practice, any suitable means may be employed for detachably securing the hub portion of the disks to the transverse shaft so that the disks may be quickly applied to and removed from the said shaft. The disks may be varied in number and size to suit the requirements of the soil. operated on and the transverse shaft 1 40 is provided at its terminal portions with sprocket wheels 43 which are connected by sprocket chains 44 with sprocketpinions 45 mounted on a rear transverse shaft 46 which is journaled in suitable bearings of the main frame of the motor plow at the rear portion thereof. The transverse shaft 46 also carries a sprocket wheel :16 which is connected by a sprocket chain 47 with a sprocket wheel 48 of a short counter shaft 49 journaled in 4 suitable bearings of the main frame of the motor plow and equipped at its outer end with a fly wheel 50 which may be in the form of a pulley; The counter shaft 49 is provided with a crank 51 which is connected with the piston 52 of the engine 36. The engines 32 and 36 are located at opposite sides of the machine and faced from the front and rear to economize the space. The

with a seeder attachment 52 which may be ofany preferred construction and as any form of seeder attachment may be employed a detail description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

In practice, the machine may be equipped with a dynamo and a search light for enabling it to be operated at night. The cultivator disks are rotated independently of vided at their rear ends with downwardly and forwardly extending portions forming beams and having forwardly extending terminal horizontal portions, brackets depending from the sides of the frame in advance of the plow beams, adjusting levers fulcrumed on the brackets, carrying wheels carried by'the said levers for raising and lowering the frame, a transverse angularly disposed shaft adjustably mounted on the horizontal portions of the said beams and provided at intervals with disks fixed to the shaft, an upper transverse shaft mounted on the frame and extending across the same, gearing connecting the ends of the upper transverse shaft with first mentioned transverse shaft for rotating the disks, and means for actuating the upper transverse shaft.

2. A motor plow of the class described in cluding a frame having spaced sides provided with downwardly and forwardly extending portions forming plow beams and having forwardly extending horizontal terminal portions, brackets depending from he sides of the frame in advance of the said the traction or carrying wheels and the 5 mamas beams and having oppositely inclined portions, approximately lL-shaped levers fulcrumed at their angles at the bottom of the brackets and having forwardly extending horizontal arms and upwardly extending arms located between the inclined sides of the brackets, means for adjusting the levers for raising and lowering the frame, a lower transverse shaft adjustably mounted on the horizontal extensions of the beams and disposed diagonally at an angle to the line of draft and provided with disks fixed to the said shaft, an upper transverse shaft extending across the frame, gearing connecting the said shafts, and means for rotating the upper shaft for driving the disks.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

STEPHEN W. SWTH. Witnesses:

JAMES S. MCGINNIS, FRANK SPINELLI. 

